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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. band — a ring
  4. drill — army training
  5. drill — a practice
  6. mark — a grade
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. present — a gift
  9. present — there
  10. cue — for pool
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. cue — a hint
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. drill — the tool
  15. game — a match
  16. land — to come down
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. present — the time now
  20. game — wild animals
  21. band — a music group
  22. cue — a signal
  23. land — ground
  24. land — a country

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com